opinions and thoughts from an aspiring screenwriter

Being the self-respecting movie addict that I am, I spent Sunday night in front of my television from 1am until 7am to watch my all-time favorite televised event: The Academy Awards. As usual lots of emotions were felt, tears were shed, words were shouted at the screen and many sugary snacks were eaten. Little did I know that by the time the show would end (just as the sun was about to come up, mind you) there would be such an insane plot twist that I actually would have trouble going to sleep after pulling an all-nighter like that. Here are my thoughts on the Horrible Mistake and on the show in general.

I have given myself a little challenge movie/blog-wise this year and I have decided to try and watch at least five movies I have not seen before every month and then briefly talk about them on here. In January I watched Inferno, The Light Between Oceans, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, La La Land, Queen Of Katwe and Léon: The Professional. This is how I would rank them from least favorite to favorite. Continue reading →

Today we are on to favorites-list number two, which features five movies I had been meaning to watch for ages but only got around to last year. They are five very different films, but each one of them has left a lasting impression on me and they are now some of my favorites of all time.

I would like to start this post by saying that I did not get to go to the movie theatre nearly as much as I would have liked to this past year, which means that I missed out on quite a few movies. I also wish I could have watched more independent movies. Looking back at the ones I did get to watch though, this list contains some of my absolute favorite 2016 releases in a few different genres.

Sometimes when the real world is getting a bit too overwhelming, especially during these crazy times, the best escape is a good film. I honestly do not know what I would do without them. Tonight, in an attempt to clear my mind and to get started on the virtually endless list of award-nominated movies, I watched Florence Foster Jenkins and if I had to describe the movie in one word it would be “charming”.

This review might be a tad biased because the Harry Potter books and movies were the great love of my childhood, my teenage years and my adult life. When the movie was first announced I was initially quite sceptical. I did not really know what to expect plot-wise as the book of the same name does not have a specific narrative. However, as soon as the first images of the movie were released I became very, very excited. The fact that one of my favourite actors, Eddie Redmayne, was cast as the main character made it all the better for me. The best news of all, perhaps, was that J.K. Rowling herself was to write the screenplay. To me, that was the big sign that this movie was going to be something truly great. I quickly booked my tickets for the midnight screening and eagerly counted down the days until november 15th.

I wrote a blog post earlier this year where I talked about some of the movie releases that I was most excited about for 2016 and the one that I was looking forward to the most was Suicide Squad. I rewatched the trailers countless times and I literally could not have looked forward to the release day more. The day before I went to see it however, I saw all the horrible reviews about it and I got so disappointed. However, I decided not to let it get to me as I wanted to form my own opinion regardless of what others thought of it. As it turns out, I did not completely hate the movie but I am VERY disappointed with how little they did with these characters. It had so much potential!

Last night it was time for one of my favorite little traditions, pulling an all-nighter to watch the Academy Awards live on television. Due to the time difference this is quite the challenge sometimes, but I am usually so excited that it is not at all difficult to stay awake. This year I looked forward to the show with mixed feelings, however. The controversy about the complete lack of diversity among the acting nominees was something that I felt very strongly about, because I simply do not understand why Hollywood refuses to give actors and movie makers of colour the same opportunities as everyone else. So, with a little apprehension and a lot of snacks, I counted down the minutes until the show would start.

If there is one movie I am rooting for during the Academy Awards this year, it is Room. Whereas most of the other ‘Oscar-movies’ I have seen so far have been good, this one is simply phenomenal. Even after watching it numerous times, it still holds up just as well as the first time.